Australian architects and designers are so excited by opportunities in China that, in February, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) set up its first international office in Hong Kong. But now one seasoned expert has a word of warning: China's demand for architectural 'imports' is slowing down.
Over the past 20 years, in mainland China and Hong Kong, Australian architects have landed billions of dollars in fees and commissions stemming from the feverish construction boom. And China has provided Australian architects with unprecedented opportunities to work on projects on a scale that will never be seen in Australia.
Take James Brearley, a 42-year-old Melbourne architect who has gone from designing toilet blocks in Australia to entire cities in China. Last year, Mr Brearley summed up the attitude of many of his colleagues when he said, 'instead of producing five designs for one building that never goes ahead, you design a piece of a city. You accommodate 10,000 people. You're appreciated here.'
That sentiment is shared by firms such as DesignInc, which is currently designing a 170,000-square-metre office, residential and shopping precinct in Beijing. It will use advanced, environmentally sustainable design principles to reduce heating and cooling costs. And then there's Denton Corker Marshall, one of the largest Australian architectural houses, which is busy working on shopping centres, residential areas and exhibition halls in cities including Shanghai and Beijing.
It's no wonder that, when the RAIA polled its members in 2004, China topped the list of most attractive markets, with 27 per cent of the vote. Europe was a distant second, on 17 per cent.
Perhaps that's because while Australia has one architect for every 2,015 residents, in China the ratio is one for every 42,500 residents.